Chapter 28: Parasitism

“Hey, don’t look so terrifying. I was just joking. I know you’re disciples of Yonglu Mountain, so you surely aren’t the type to… do anything shocking.”

By “shocking,” do you mean someone who can get a man pregnant?

Bian Chunzhou: … You’ve said all the good and bad things yourself. What is this spiritual physician’s deal? Is he even legit?

He couldn’t help but turn to Chen Zui. “Where did you hire this spiritual physician from?”

Chen Zui’s gaze toward Spiritual Physician Ming was also filled with doubt. “Chengxin Hall, two streets over.”

Ah, Chengxin Hall. Wasn’t that an enterprise under Jinding Pavilion? As the wealthiest entity in the cultivation world, Jinding Pavilion had a massive business. They surely wouldn’t employ some swindling fraud, right?

Hearing their conversation, Spiritual Physician Ming immediately grew annoyed. “You actually doubt my identity? I’m deeply hurt. I don’t even want to look into this bizarre case of a pregnant man anymore!”

With that, he picked up his wooden chest to leave, seemingly certain that these three greenhorn Qi Refining rookies would stop him. However… not a single person tried to keep him!

As a result, the atmosphere instantly froze.

“Why haven’t you left yet?” Bian Chunzhou asked, tucking his hands into his sleeves, his tone cool.

Hearing this, Spiritual Physician Ming immediately turned back. “Didn’t you notice? I’m waiting for you to ask me to stay and treat him.”

Bian Chunzhou laughed uproariously in his mind, hands on his hips. Fortunately, his sharp eyes had caught Wen Xuxu’s hand gesture just now. “Oh, we didn’t notice. Besides, you just reminded us. Instead of spending our own spirit stones to hire a spiritual physician, we might as well report this directly to the sect. His symptoms are clearly abnormal. Since this happened at the foot of Yonglu Mountain, our Yonglu Mountain has an inescapable duty.”

He hadn’t expected to misjudge them. Spiritual Physician Ming looked back and forth between the three of them, finally resting his gaze on the blindfolded Wen Xu. “I heard that Yonglu Mountain gained a Disciple of the Divine Venerable. Meeting you today, you indeed live up to your reputation.”

Huh? How does this live up to his reputation? Bian Chunzhou curled his lip inwardly. This flattery was a bit too half-hearted.

Wen Xu knew that his blindfold was indeed too distinct a feature. “Physician Ming.”

“Yes?”

“We invited you here to treat the patient, not to examine my eyes.” Just now, Wen Xu had sensed that the pregnant man on the bed was growing weaker. “I thought physicians possessed a healer’s benevolent heart.”

Physician Ming: …

“I’ll just pretend you’re asking me to stay,” Physician Ming said, walking back with his wooden chest. “Quick, you big guy, yes, the one holding the saber, hold the patient down! His body has been parasitized. In another two hours, I guarantee that even a Tribulation Transcendence Ancestor couldn’t save him.”

Parasitized? Wasn’t he pregnant?!

“What are you dazing off for? Hurry up! I’m only at the first layer of Qi Refining, I’m very weak, you know.”

Only then did the three of them realize that this seemingly formidable Mystic Physician was actually only at the first layer of Qi Refining. One had to know that when Wen Xu accidentally entered the Poyun Secret Realm, he had immediately opened his Qi sea and advanced to the first layer of Qi Refining. Not long after leaving the secret realm, he had already reached the second layer.

Advancing in the Qi Refining Stage was a very straightforward process of absorbing spiritual energy. Once the spiritual energy was sufficient and the Qi sea was cleared, one would naturally advance.

This Mystic Physician looked to be around twenty-five or twenty-six. First layer of Qi Refining? Seriously? Even a cultivator with five spiritual roots couldn’t possibly make zero progress in their realm, right?

But Chen Zui was simple-minded. After a brief moment of surprise, he immediately used his spiritual energy to bind the man’s limbs. Seeing this, Physician Ming quickly pulled a mortal-grade Vitality-Replenishing Pill from his wooden box. After feeding it to the patient, he pinched a spiritual needle and swiftly drove it into the major acupoints across the patient’s body.

These were the major acupoints of a mortal. If there was even the slightest error, the man would probably die on the spot before he could be saved.

This clearly showed how bold and skilled this spiritual physician was.

The moment the spiritual needle was inserted, the man on the bed suddenly snapped his eyes open, his gaze filled with fear and terror. In the next instant, he tried to raise his hands to beat his stomach violently. Fortunately, he had been bound beforehand, leaving his limbs unable to break free.

Even so, he continued to struggle relentlessly, as if he couldn’t feel pain at all. Bian Chunzhou watched as the man’s limbs began to bleed from the friction, yet he still fought with all his might!

At this rate, wouldn’t he snap his own limbs?!

He was just about to say something when he saw…

“His blood… his blood is actually green!” How could a human have green blood? Was he a demon? Had all three of them misjudged him? That shouldn’t be possible.

They should at least be able to tell a human from a demon.

At the same time, Wen Xu keenly caught a scent of vegetation mixed with blood. This vegetative scent was extremely turbid, invoking a deep, instinctive disgust. To date, this was likely the most nauseating smell he had ever encountered.

He couldn’t help but hold his breath, but the sickening odor only grew stronger.

Unable to bear it any longer, Wen Xu finally coated his nose with spiritual energy.

“How is he?”

Seeing Physician Ming finally stop, Bian Chunzhou hastily asked, “Why does he still look in so much pain?”

“I’m a Mystic Physician, not a miracle worker. Healing takes time. As for his parasitism, my preliminary suspicion is that he ingested a seed of the Jade Bone Acacia Tree. Furthermore, this seed must have been specially prepared. It takes root and sprouts inside the human body, mimicking the illusion of pregnancy. In reality, it parasitizes the body, constantly draining the host’s strength. Once the host’s strength is completely depleted, it will… ripen and fall.”

Bian Chunzhou blinked. “The Jade Bone Acacia Tree? Isn’t that…”

“That’s right. Congratulations, you’ve run into an evil cultivator.” Spiritual Physician Ming slapped a Cleansing Talisman onto himself. “Though this evil cultivator was a bit careless. Otherwise, this man wouldn’t have escaped.”

Holy crap! An evil cultivator. They absolutely had to report this to the sect. The three of them combined probably wouldn’t even make a decent snack for someone like that.

“As for me, I’m just a minor Mystic Physician at the first layer of Qi Refining. The best I can do is temporarily put the parasitic seed in his stomach into dormancy. As for how to extract it without harming him, I’m afraid you’ll have to find someone more capable.”

Asking to consult someone more capable was, in truth, just looking to the sect for backup.

After seeing off Spiritual Physician Ming, Bian Chunzhou quickly contacted a senior brother from Kaiyuan Peak who was in the city. Before long, a senior brother at the Foundation Establishment Stage arrived in a hurry.

“Are you sure? Is it really an evil cultivator? What evil cultivator is so bold as to cause trouble right under the nose of our Yonglu Mountain!”

The moment Senior Brother Huang walked in, his face darkened. He clearly detested evil cultivators. Once he confirmed that it was indeed an evil cultivator’s doing, he immediately recorded the details of the case and took custody of the man with the phantom pregnancy.

“This happened so suddenly, I haven’t even paid my respects to Little Grand-Uncle Master.”

Wen Xu: …That is really not necessary.

Senior Brother Huang was not a particularly social person. Seeing that the three of them still needed to continue harvesting Moonlight Grass, he left with the other disciples, taking the man with them. From the looks of it, they were gearing up for a major clash with the evil cultivators.

“That senior brother is certainly a man of action.”

After saying this, Bian Chunzhou slapped his forehead. “Oh no, I forgot to report the cost of hiring the spiritual physician to the sect. That was a hundred spirit stones! That’s enough to travel to the Suitian Sword Sect.” If he had possessed that much money back then, he might have already joined the Suitian Sword Sect by now, even though… he didn’t have much talent for the sword.

Wen Xu had also known hardship in the past. Even though he was wealthy now, he was still very frugal. “It’s fine, I’ll report it. After all, I am technically their Little Grand-Uncle Master.”

Bian Chunzhou: …Maybe you shouldn’t. Won’t the Divine Dragon Venerable think his friend is too stingy?

Wen Xu noticed. “Chunzhou, you seem to hold my master in exceptionally high regard.”

“Do I?”

“A whole lot. At least more than you respect the Sect Master.”

Bian Chunzhou: How could that be the same! That’s the Divine Dragon!

Over the next three days, the weather did not cooperate. The three of them were stranded in the city for three days without hearing any news of evil cultivators being captured. Fortunately, the weather cleared up on the fourth day. After spending another two days staking out Yueyu Forest, they finally gathered ten Jin [approx. 5 kg] of Moonlight Grass.

“We’re finally done harvesting. I’m never taking a mission to harvest Moonlight Grass again.” Although it wasn’t very difficult, it was truly tedious. In the time it took, they could have completed a dozen medicine delivery runs.

Looking at it this way, the medicine delivery mission for Tinghe Villa was practically the king of cost-effectiveness.

After bundling the Moonlight Grass and storing it in Wen Xu’s storage ring, mission two was finally complete. Next up was the investigation for mission three.

To be honest, having just witnessed the bizarre incident of a “pregnant man,” Bian Chunzhou felt a chill run down his spine when he looked at this investigation mission now.

“Wen Xuxu, do you think the consecutive pregnancies in Wushan Village could be related to the evil cultivators’ parasites?” However, Wushan Village was located to the west of Langyuan City, while Yueyu Forest was to the southeast. The distance between east and west was quite significant.

Besides, the mission description didn’t say it was men who were getting pregnant one after another. It couldn’t be that coincidental, could it?

If Bian Chunzhou could think of it, Wen Xu naturally did too. He was extremely cautious by nature, so he said, “I don’t know, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Do you still remember the duo who kidnapped people?”

“Of course. They should still be locked up in the dungeon of the City Lord’s Mansion’s government office, right?”

“Let’s go ask them which tea stall they encountered that pregnant man at.”

That made sense. The three of them immediately set off on their return journey. With their status as Yonglu Mountain disciples, there were few places in Langyuan City they couldn’t go. As soon as Bian Chunzhou showed his identity token, the bailiffs at the government office respectfully invited them in.

“Why are the immortal masters looking for those filthy people? To tell you the truth, they died two days ago.”

Bian Chunzhou was astonished. “Dead? How did they die?”

“They just dropped dead. Perhaps they did too many bad deeds and the heavens punished them. Since no one claimed their bodies, they’ve been kept at the mortuary^[1] for two days. If no one comes for them in a few more days, we’ll have to throw them into the mass grave.”

Bian Chunzhou immediately realized that something was highly amiss. However, by the time he reached the mortuary, let alone the bodies, the entire mortuary… was gone.

Good grief, they really cleaned up the evidence thoroughly. No wonder they hadn’t heard of any operations to capture evil cultivators over the past few days, despite Yonglu Mountain’s efficiency.

As it turned out, there was a mole in the city.

“Are we still doing this mission then?”

Wen Xu’s fingertips couldn’t help but tap lightly on the table, a small habit of his when thinking deeply. “We do it, but… not openly.”

“Then how should we do it?”

Wen Xu looked up. “I’ve always felt that cultivators focus too much on cultivation levels and methods, forgetting the simplest and most direct means.”

“What’s that?”

“Beggars.” Wen Xu closed his eyes, hiding the turbulent emotions within them. “When something happens in a place, the first to notice will never be the ordinary citizens, nor will it be the superior cultivators.”